When I signed up for the 5430 Triathlon Series back in April, *one* of the things I was worried about was the heat for the July race. And rightfully so. Still, this race is awesome. Last year, the event was canceled because of wildfire. The fire didn't directly threaten the course, but all of the county's police resources needed to be not directing traffic for a race. Last year would have been the 25th anniversary, so it was especially sour that it didn't happen. But! That meant extra swag this year! The swag-bag was stacked! Race morning, the pros went first, and it was fun to see the beach-run launch; but as each minute passed, the sun got higher and the temperatures rose.

My wave took off at almost exactly 7:30am. The Boulder Reservoir tends to be choppy but manageable. Back on land in 30 minutes, I was glad to get the wetsuit off (although, I'm totally in love with my Roka). I still suck at transitions. I don't know how the pros do it in 58 seconds. Maybe some day my T1 will be under 3-minutes...

The ride was the highlight. From the start, it's uphill. And keeps climbing without rest for 8 miles. As we approached the steepest part of Olde Stage Road (14% grade), someone said, "I'm jealous of that road bike right about now." Tri bikes are not made for climbing. I passed at least 12 tri bikes going up. (But they passed me back as soon as we were on flatland). On the descent, everyone's eyes were glued to their devices: we couldn't go over 35 mph. There was a sheriff with a speed gun. The rest of the ride was rolling and fun.

The run...was slow. Like, really slow. I passed a lot of people, but a lot of people were giving up. It was 90-degrees when I started the 10K. At the finish, I took full advantage of the slip-and-slide. The guy spraying it down assured me that I needed way more momentum going into my slide. Next year! For now, onto doubling my distances.